


Harbinger of Death

by Jester_Rosa



Series: Harbinger of Death [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, Regulus Black Lives, Regulus Black-centric, The Cave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25659997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jester_Rosa/pseuds/Jester_Rosa
Summary: “Welcome, child.” the being said.Regulus closed his eyes. “Am I dead?” he asked.“You are here, are you not?”Regulus nodded. “I am. Who are you?”“No one prepared you, my child?” The way it spoke made Regulus think it was frowning. “I am Death.”“Are you here to help me over?” Regulus asked.“If that is what you wish, then yes, I will take you across. First, however, I shall offer you a deal. Tom Riddle, the one you know as Lord Voldemort, has created more than the locket you gave your life for.”“Created more- as in, more Horcruxes?” Regulus felt sick. One was bad enough, but the figure made it sound...It nodded. “Five.”Regulus' head snapped up. “Five?! Is he completely insane?”“Now, onto my offer,” the being said, seeming to ignore Regulus's response. “You become my Harbinger, and do the duty of destroying the Horcruxes, and I shall restore your life.”
Relationships: Regulus Black & Kreacher
Series: Harbinger of Death [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861327
Comments: 3
Kudos: 91





	Harbinger of Death

_What, exactly, is a Harbinger? They are powerful beings, to be sure, but what are they?_

_A Harbinger must die in a way that is not the Killing Curse, to begin with. From there, they pass on, and Death sends them back to our plane, gifting them with powers beyond our comprehension. A Harbinger cannot be slain by the Killing Curse, and the art of Legilimency is nearly useless. They do not age, nor do they fall ill, but they can be slain. However, killing one is ill advised; you will incur the wrath of Death, and bring misfortune upon you and your household._

_Why, you may ask, does Death return these people to us? He does not do it out of any kindness for the mortals left behind, but to reclaim those who have cheated him._

_Those foolish enough to create the most taboo of taboos; a Horcrux. The Harbingers have a strange affinity towards Horcruxes, and know whether something is or is not one simply by touching it. They also are given one of the few things that can destroy a Horcrux; Patronus Fire. To place a Horcrux into these flames will destroy it, and cause great pain to the creator in the process._

_Harbingers are an anomaly, but each are marked by Death in a unique way. One of the most famous Harbingers in history, Antares Black I, founder of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, had a tattoo of a head of wheat on his left cheek._

_It is said that the House of Black was blessed with good fortune and longevity as long as they adhered to the Command of Death._

Regulus snorted as he read the last sentence. “Well, we screwed that up, then.” he told himself. “At least, not the ones who stay on the tapestry.” he added after a thought.

As he picked himself up off the floor in the library, he frowned slightly. _The Command of Death. That's not ominous at_ _ **all,**_ _is it?_

At this point, he wasn't sure if he _cared._ Whatever it was, he probably hadn't obeyed it, and he doubted he'd have time. He'd decided to go to the cave tonight, and probably die. Checking the clock for what was probably the eighth time in the past half hour, Regulus shook his head. _Kreacher will tell you when it's time, idiot._

The day had been going by in short spurts, gaps where Regulus wasn't sure what he'd been doing. Occasionally, he'd come back to himself in the middle of something, like now, when he'd found himself staring at the strange book in his hands. Regulus wasn't sure what a Harbinger even _was._ He wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know what they were. They might have had a way to destroy Horcruxes, but he was pretty sure that there were no Harbingers left, if they'd ever existed at all.

Regulus frowned, and pulled out the locket he planned to switch with the Dark Lord's Horcrux. It was made mostly out of gold, with a beautiful amber stone set into it. Regulus examined the exterior, then opened the locket.

“Perhaps,” he mused, “I could write a letter to the Dark Lord, and leave it in the fake Horcrux.”

Taking out a small piece of parchment and his best quill, Regulus worked on a note to taunt the Dark Lord from beyond the grave, hopefully without actually giving himself completely away. He probably failed, but as with most things today, he couldn't care less.

After waiting for the ink to dry, Regulus scooped up the note, folding it up and slipping it into the locket. He wasn't just going to _give_ the Dark Lord his written confession, after all.

Regulus was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of Kreacher Apparating into the room. “Master Regulus, it is time.” the house-elf told him quietly.

Regulus stood up, stretched, and reached out for Kreacher's hand. The house-elf did not make his usual remarks about how Regulus was acting below his station. They both knew it was to be the last time that the young man ever saw Number 12, Grimmauld Place again.

They walked down to the front door, and Kreacher gave a tug. There was a sharp _crack!_ and Regulus felt the familiar sensation of Side-Along Apparition. When his feet touched the ground again, he did not drop Kreacher's hand, but instead took stock of the area.

They were standing on a cliff that dropped into the ocean, with the mouth of a cave in front of them.

“There it is, Master,” Kreacher said.

“Let's go. The Dark Lord's trials await us.” If Regulus' voice shook as he spoke, neither mentioned it. Not many faced death like this, and Regulus already knew it would be _extremely_ unpleasant. Still, he went.

The cave turned out to be pretty small to the uneducated eye, but Regulus was decidedly not that. The blood runes on the wall were glaringly obvious, and he'd brought a knife just for this exact purpose. He approached the wall, and slashed across the Dark Mark that marred his arm, allowing the blood to drip onto the wall.

An archway opened, and after Regulus had bandaged his arm, they moved into the cave proper. An inky black lake stretched out in front of them, and Kreacher tugged Regulus over to a ghostly green boat. Once they stepped into it, it sailed across the water soundlessly, not even making ripples. Regulus stared out across the water, until it scraped against the shore of the little island in the middle of the lake.

A basin sat at the center of the island, filled with a glowing green potion. Regulus approached the basin, and removed his wand from its holster, conjuring a goblet.

“Kreacher,” Regulus turned to the house-elf next to him. “I need to finish the potion. No matter what I say, no matter what I tell you to do, _make me finish it._ Understand?”

“Kreacher understands, yes he does.” Kreacher nodded glumly.

“Good.” Regulus forced a grin, then scooped up some of the potion with the goblet.

He downed the poison quickly, before he could think twice about it, and shuddered. It tasted vile, and Regulus pursed his lips. He drank another goblet full of the potion before any of the effects it could have on him. After the third cupful, Kreacher had to force him to drink, and he began hearing the voices of his family.

“ _Such a disgrace.”_ his mother sneered.

“ _You were never my brother.”_ Sirius told him.

“ _I'm ashamed of you.”_ his father snarled.

“ _Do you think that I'll forgive you because of this?”_ Sirius asked. _“Merlin, Regulus, you're hopeless.”_

“ _Are you crying?”_ his mother, again. _“You're worthless.”_

It felt like an eternity, but Kreacher finally stopped giving him more potion, and Regulus fell to his knees. Kreacher's voice broke into his addled thoughts. “Master Regulus, Kreacher has the locket!”

Regulus lifted his head slowly, looking at the house-elf blearily. “Good. Take it home, and destroy it.”

“Kreacher is not leaving Master Regulus here!” Kreacher squeaked stubbornly.

“You will. I- I command you to return home, and destroy the locket. Do not speak of this to- to any member of the family.” Regulus ordered firmly.

Kreacher hung his head, and Regulus saw tears growing in the house-elf's eyes, but the house-elf Disapparated away, leaving Regulus alone on the island.

Unable to ignore the ever-growing thirst that had overtaken him, Regulus began dragging himself down towards the lake. Once he reached the water, Regulus formed a cup with his hands, scooping up some water and drinking it.

Hands broke through the water's surface, grabbing at Regulus' arms, dragging him forward. Still weak from his ordeal, he followed-until he hit the water. Then he began struggling, but the water slowed him down, weakened his strikes. The Inferi continued to claw at him, closing their hands around his throat and dragging him farther and farther below. Regulus choked for air, but only water filled his lungs. The cold darkness of the lake began growing even darker, and slowly, Regulus Black perished.

When Regulus came to, he was lying in a field of grass. Blinking his eyes open, he realized he was in a small clearing surrounded by trees. The sound of rushing water drew his attention to the swift river that flowed through the clearing, dividing it neatly in half.

A boat sat on the opposite bank, and someone in brown robes was getting in. Regulus sat down by the river's edge, waiting for the ferry to make its way across. As he waited, he took the time to take in his surroundings. The trees were in full bloom, and the river was crystal clear somehow. Regulus even saw a few fish swimming in it. The whole environment was tranquil, a far cry from where he had been mere moments ago.

As the person reached the bank, Regulus attempted to stand, but collapsed back to the ground, his legs too weak to carry his weight.

“ **Welcome, child.”** the being said.

Regulus closed his eyes. “Am I dead?” he asked.

“ **You are here, are you not?”**

Regulus nodded. “I am. Who are you?”

“ **No one prepared you, my child?”** The way it spoke made Regulus think it was frowning. **“I am Death.”**

“Are you here to help me over?” Regulus asked.

“ **If that is what you wish, then yes, I will take you across. First, however, I shall offer you a deal. Tom Riddle, the one you know as Lord Voldemort, has created more than the locket you gave your life for.”**

“Created more- as in, more Horcruxes?” Regulus felt sick. One was bad enough, but the figure made it sound...

It nodded. **“Five.”**

Regulus' head snapped up. _“Five?!_ Is he completely _insane?”_

“ **Now, onto my offer,”** the being said, seeming to ignore Regulus's response. **“You become my Harbinger, and do the duty of destroying the Horcruxes, and I shall restore your life.”**

Regulus laughed bitterly. “What do I have left to live for?”

It considered this. **“Perhaps after you destroy Voldemort, you will have found new reasons to live. Child, I need a Harbinger, and you would be good for the role. You know the dangers of Horcruxes, you know how to destroy them.”**

Regulus frowned. “Why me? Why can't you do it yourself?”

“ **I cannot interfere with the mortal world, not without disrupting the balance. Will you accept my offer?”**

“What makes a Harbinger different from a 'mortal'?” Regulus asked, not answering the question.

It didn't seem to mind, explaining, **“First of all, they cannot be slain by the Killing Curse, because I shall protect your Hourglass. Your Occlumency shields would be greatly improved, to the point that it would take a master of Legilimency to force entry. Your resistance to heat and cold would be improved as well, although not beyond human ability. And the greatest of my gifts- I would grant you the power to wield Ignis Patroni.”**

“Ignis Patroni,” Regulus echoed. “I think I remember reading that somewhere, but I can't recall what it is, exactly...”

“ **Ignis Patroni is a gift I give to my Harbingers. It is one of few things that can destroy a Horcrux.”** it told him.

Regulus nodded slowly. “Do I swear an oath?” he asked.

The creature thought for a minute, then nodded. **“Of sorts.”** It reached into its robes, and withdrew a head of wheat, offering it to Regulus.

Regulus stared at it, and restrained a small groan. A Wizard's Bargain. If broken, the person responsible for the break of contract dies. Of _course_ the Bargain originally came from Death itself.

Shaking his head to clear his mind and raise his Occlumency shields, Regulus knelt, taking Death's offering. “I, Regulus Arcturus Black, hereby swear by Lady Magic, that I shall do all in my power to aid in the destruction of the Dark Lord Voldemort. I will become one of Death's Harbingers, to right the wrongs caused by the actions of myself and others.”

Death nodded, seemingly pleased with the wording Regulus had chosen, spoke its own end of the deal. **“To my Harbinger Regulus I grant the boon of cleansing, new life, and new fate. To him I give my blessing, the** _**Ignis Patroni,** _ **to wield as he sees fit. I give him this, in exchange for his gift of loyalty, and the promise of the soul who has cheated me. Take as long as you need, child, for let it not be said that Death is impatient. Go now, and do as you must, but remember; all souls are equal before me. Do not judge based on birth, but person.”**

Golden flames twisted out of the wheat, surrounding both of them, and the world faded away.


End file.
